Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
CADENCE
“Your stepbrother’s intense, isn’t he?” Hudson says with a laugh as Drake’s car roars into life behind us, taking the corner at such speed his tyres leave black scuffs on the road. Then his face crinkles with concern. “Or was the friend thing real?”
I pull a face. “Am I that bad a liar?”
“Yep,” he agrees, laughing even harder when I mock punch his shoulder. “Don’t hate on the messenger. Guess there’s a few teething problems with your new living arrangements, then.”
“That’s a polite way of putting it.” I shrug. “We knew each other before but didn’t part on the best of terms, and I had no idea he’d be my new housemate.”
“Well, his loss is my gain.” Judging from the broad smile he flashes at me; Hudson believes every word. “Given that’s the reception you’ll get, are you in a hurry to get home?”
I twist to study his face, which is alight with mischief. “Depends on what you had in mind.”
“Don’t worry.” He bumps his hand against the side of my knee. “I’m not dragging you to a sex dungeon.”
He leaves such a long pause I roll my eyes. “Well, what then?”
“Sorry. Just leaving an opening in case you wanted to change my mind. How’d you like to join a pickup game of rugby in the park?”
I shrug, unsure if he means me to watch or take part and happy to do either. “Sounds good.”
He meant participating.
Hudson drags a few pairs of shorts from the trunk of his car, tossing the smallest towards me. I tug them on under my skirt before taking it off and folding it into a neat square on the passenger seat. The matching T-shirt he gives me is a harder feat, but my bra covers enough that I risk taking off my blouse before quickly tugging the replacement top into place.
When I turn around, Hudson hastily averts his gaze, and I feel a rush of warmth that such a cute guy was checking me out. I remember how it felt on Saturday, clinging to him on the jet ski, face showered with the saltwater spray while the machine throbbed between my legs.
My throat pulls tight, face pulsing with colour as I pretend to size up the competition already running onto the field.
“Do you often need to outfit strangers?” I ask, waiting as he swaps his school uniform for shorts, no shirt.
“Big family. You’re wearing Ben’s shorts but don’t worry.” He tugs on the back of my ponytail, grinning broadly. “I won’t tell.”
I get picked for the opposing side, nodding to Salesi who’s on the wing, his twin snarling at him from Hudson’s team.
The play is quick paced and only bears a fleeting resemblance to the national game. Rules are reinterpreted on the fly, the assigned points doubling for one conversion because of its apparent impossibility. I enjoy the view from the back of a scrum, but my fun is cut short when we ruck the ball and Salesi flies along the pitch, scoring between the posts before anyone comes near to catching him.
“We need to institute a penalty system,” Hudson calls out, happy despite his side losing by twice as much as they’ve scored. “Salesi gets all the losers on his team.”
“I’ve already got a girl.”
“Hey,” I protest, laughing. “A girl with feelings.”
“That’s the handicap,” Salesi agrees, leading me to tackle my side.
By the time we call it a day, I’m covered head to toe in mud. Enough that I worry about getting into Hudson’s neat-freak level of clean car.
“Don’t worry,” he says, tossing his jersey onto the passenger seat for me to sit on. “I’ll get Ben to detail it if it’s too bad. He’s permanently grounded so does just about anything for cash.”
He checks the rest of my uniform is safe on the back seat, then pulls on his shirt, using the raised boot lid as cover while he shucks his muddy shorts and swaps back to his trousers.
“Is Ben the bad boy of the family?”
“Oh.” Hudson clutches his chest like he’s wounded. “ I’m the bad boy. Ben’s a nerd who keeps going onto the dark web and ordering shit he shouldn’t.”
“Like what?”
“A machete was the last one. Mum unwrapped it and nearly lost her fingers. He’s into war memorabilia.”
“Better than hiring hitmen or importing drugs.”
He snorts, checking his camera before he reverses onto the road, steering for home. “Wouldn’t put the latter past him. I have my suspicions that’s how he financed everything he did last year. This year, he’s reselling a few older weapons, and you don’t want to see who comes to your door when you advertise this stuff for sale.”
He takes me on a meandering drive to his house, cutting through side streets and pointing out sights of local interest while I study the side view of his cheerful face, wondering what it would feel like to sink my fingers into his springy curls.
A pleasant flutter hits me low in my stomach, then my eyes drop to his crotch for a split second before I turn away, mouth going dry.
Even before the incident with Drake, I wasn’t great with boys that way and I’m an absolute baby about anything past a kiss or a casual grope.
The idea of losing my virginity scrambles my brain cells until I can barely breathe. I tried to get past it once by using a cheap wand vibrator and ended up scaring myself even worse.
We’re nearly at Arnold’s house when Hudson gives me a nervous glance. “You want to come back to mine? You’re welcome to use our shower to clean off before you go home.”
I’m about to decline when he adds, “I know Blaine’s dad can be really anal about that stuff.”
“Arnold?”
“Yeah.” He frowns at my confusion. “Don’t you think?”
I’m about to say no, then realise the few days we’ve spent there probably aren’t the best way to judge his character. “I haven’t known him long enough to tell.”
What I do know is that Drake won’t give me a warm welcome when I get home, and that’s enough of a reason. “But thanks. That’ll be good.”
The hot water is a luxurious treat against the aches and pains I earned on the rugby pitch. If I weren’t in a virtual stranger’s house, I’d stay longer. Instead, I change quickly, eye on the door even though I’ve engaged the lock, breathing a sigh of relief when I’m decent again.
“Should I take these home to wash?” I ask, holding the shorts and t-shirt aloft. “I can drop them back tomorrow.”
“Nah. I’ll stick them in the chute.” He pushes past me to open a sliding door in the bathroom, shoving them inside and adding the towel I left hanging over the rail to dry.
Rich folk. I love them more every day.
He gives me a fleeting introduction to two of his brothers on the way out to his car. Then I stop, peering along the road. “If it’s okay, I’m fine to walk from here.”
Arnold’s house is hidden from view but just around the next corner.
“Ashamed of me, are you?”
“Yeah. My street cred drops with every second.” I kick my toes at the small patch of gravel. “I’m not sure how Drake is going to react when I get home.”
“Who’s that?”
I fumble for a moment, then remember he knows him by a different name. “Blaine. He went by Drake when I knew him before.”
“And you think he scares me?”
“There’s no use buying trouble where you don’t need it.” I pause and the silence grows awkward, my emotions too stunted to know how to respond appropriately. “Thanks for stopping to check on me,” I say just to say something. “I had a great time at the game.”
His broad smile reappears, bringing a sunny calm to his demeanour and I can’t help but relax.
“That’s because you had the star player on your team,” he teases. “Next time, you’re getting roped onto my side and we’ll see how you enjoy losing.”
My feet turn homeward, then Hudson clears his throat, and I twist back.
“Are you doing anything this weekend?” The words spill out so fast, he sounds nervous. An insight that calms me even more. “I wondered if you wanted to catch a movie?”
“Yeah?” I stare at my feet, shuffling while my unwanted shyness strikes again, making me tongue-tied.
“If you don’t want to, that’s okay.”
“No, I do.” I nod, then glance up, nodding again for emphasis while he beams. “What’s playing?”
He laughs. “God knows. Give me your phone and I’ll text the listings. We can pick one together.” We exchange numbers, and he briefly touches my shoulder. “If you want a lift in the morning, text, and I’ll come pick you up.”
“Thanks.”
I head up the road, turning to look back as I reach the corner.
Hudson still stands there, watching, and gives me a wave. I return the gesture until I’m out of sight around the curve, a satisfied warmth blossoming in my chest.